Cloud Ridge Valley.
"See that wild Tacet Discord Zig Zag over there? Noah, hide behind this Blazing Dawn—I'll demonstrate the proper way to fight it."
Chixia confidently shielded Noah behind her, drawing her fiery red pistols, only to see Noah already charging forward boldly with Commando of Conviction in hand.
At the same moment, a pair of tentacles rose overhead beside the Zig Zag. A golden orb of light quickly formed and was hurled toward Noah.
Facing the attack, Noah instinctively dodged with practiced ease—as if it were ingrained in his body.
His physical resonance ability activated effortlessly. The Tacet Mark on his right hand glowed golden. Immense energy gathered, and Noah felt as though he gripped a sun in his hand:
"Moment of resonance!"
With a massive burst of golden light, the small golden Tacet Discord Zig Zag fell in response.
In its place remained a motionless golden Echo silhouette.
[First encounter with an Echo. "Data Bank" — Activated.]
["Echo Compendium," "Sonata Compendium," "Data Merging," "Data Reconstruction" — Activated.]
[Current Data Bank level: Max. COST capacity is 12. Tacet Discord Echo drop rate is 20%, and drops are guaranteed to be golden Echoes.]
"The Data Bank starts at max level? Nice—it saves me the trouble of leveling it up slowly."
Noah was naturally familiar with the Data Bank system. He silently praised it in his mind, then flung out his black gourd-shaped terminal to absorb the Echo.
Several lines of data only he could see appeared in the corner of his vision.
[Echo: Zig Zag (Sacred light!).]
[Quality: 5-star Common.]
[Main Stats: Attack 18%, HP 2280.]
[Substats: Crit Rate 10.5%, Crit DMG 19.8%, Attack 50, Attack 7.1%, Resonance Skill DMG Bonus 8.6%.]
Seeing the specific details of the Zig Zag Echo, Noah was ecstatic.
Absorbing it made it fully complete—no need for tuners or tuning tubes to cultivate. This was far more convenient than in the game.
And every substat on this Echo was top-tier—a true heirloom-level Echo that would make people jealous if posted on the official community.
Was this newbie welfare? Love it!
Skillfully opening the "Resonator" interface and equipping the Zig Zag Echo, Noah immediately felt his body's power surge far beyond before.
If previously he could only break through one wall, now he could demolish a small villa with his bare hands.
It was foreseeable that once all five Echo slots were equipped, he would undergo a complete enhancement.
"Wow."
Chixia's amazed voice came from behind. Noah turned in response and saw her running over, her face full of disbelief:
"Y-y-you, Noah—your resonance ability is way too strong. You one-shot the Zig Zag."
"Of course—wrapped around my finger. Don't mention a Common-class Tacet Discord; even an Elite one would get insta-killed by me."
Noah accepted the praise with ease, patting his chest confidently.
He possessed Rover's full-powered combat ability and experience from his prime.
Once he equipped suitable Echoes in all five slots, soloing the Fractsidus overseer Scar in Jinzhou wouldn't be an issue.
"Normally, overusing resonance ability can cause physical mutations—like how the tips of my hair gradually turn feathery."
Yangyang analyzed calmly, casting a worried gaze as she asked:
"Noah, the energy wave you just released was very powerful. Carefully check—do you feel any discomfort in your body?"
Noah checked his condition upon hearing this. He only felt—
Better than ever. He could chain several Resonance Liberations without issue.
"No need to worry—I'm completely fine. Let's go. We'll head deeper into Cloud Ridge Valley. I want to farm a few more Echoes to test."
With those words, Noah looked up at the gradually forming Etheric Sea in the sky, then fixed his gaze deep into Cloud Ridge Valley, his heart burning with excitement.
Howling winds roared as though someone were calling loudly across the world, stirring the heavy clouds into wave-like ripples.
The main storyline of Wuthering Waves was about to begin.
He was about to meet Rover.
On the other side.
Jinzhou, Screen Court Mountain.
Several figures climbed halfway up the mountain, overlooking the entire expanse of Jinzhou. But thick fog shrouded everything, making the city indistinct and unclear.
After observing through the fog for a while, Baizhi frowned tightly and spoke with deep concern:
"We came too early. This fog won't fully dissipate until at least ten o'clock. By visual estimate, visibility is only about a hundred meters right now."
Taoqi unconsciously stretched lazily, but her eyes remained fixed on Jinzhou City. Her ample chest rose and fell slightly as she suppressed her inner anxiety:
"Isn't that perfect? Our drones can see the Jinzhou below, while anything inside Jinzhou won't easily spot the drones."
Behind them, Yuanwu had already set down his pack and skillfully assembled the equipment. Though his movements were swift and steady, fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
All three shared the same trepidation—like placing an all-in bet at the casino.
They longed to know Jinzhou's current state yet feared hearing disastrous news.
Soon, three drones flew out in different directions. The precision disc devices on the ground projected three holographic images—the scenes captured by the drones.
As the drones descended gradually, the full view of Jinzhou City came into the trio's eyes: scorched ruins and broken walls from raging fires.
The once magnificent Grand Library had turned to blackened earth. Exquisite architectural fragments lay tragically amid the wreckage.
Streets that once bustled with traffic were now crisscrossed with web-like fissures. Toppled central beacons, snapped lamp posts, the shattered Jinzhou City…
Building after building reduced to ruins.
Location after location empty of people.
Desolate winds blew like a wordless dirge. The thick fog finally thinned, revealing the veil beneath: a Jinzhou riddled with holes, like a dead city.
"Jinzhou City… how could it be like this…"
Taoqi's eyes widened instantly, filled with disbelief and deep pain.
The closer she looked at Jinzhou, the more her body trembled. Her hands clenched unconsciously into fists, nails nearly digging into her palms.
Taoqi's lips quivered as she tried to speak, but no words came. Tears welled in her eyes, stubbornly refusing to fall.
Even though they had mentally prepared, accepting this reality was still difficult in the moment.
The other two also turned deathly pale, their lips drained of color.
"Jinzhou City has truly fallen."
Taoqi's voice carried a sob. Unable to hold back her grief any longer, her legs gave way. She squatted down, covering her face and weeping.
Baizhi forced down her sorrow, continuing to control the drones to search around, futilely hoping to find even a trace of survivors.
Finally, a blood-red rectangular gate appeared in their view, emblazoned with a black horned demon head.
"This is a Sonoro Sphere!"
Baizhi exclaimed, her eyes briefly lighting up before quickly dimming again.
"What is a Sonoro Sphere?"
Yuanwu turned with confusion toward Baizhi, who gave a bitter smile and explained:
"A Sonoro Sphere is an independent space. Jinzhou's missing residents might be inside this Sonoro Sphere."
"But those capable of creating or possessing a Sonoro Sphere are usually extremely powerful Resonators—beyond what we can handle."
"In other words, the red-clothed freak who caused Jinzhou's fall likely hasn't left and is hiding within this Sonoro Sphere."
After hearing Baizhi's explanation, Yuanwu's hands trembled. He felt a wave of helplessness.
Even if Jinzhou's residents were all trapped in that Sonoro Sphere—so what?
The gate placed so conspicuously already said much.
That red-clothed freak had flung the doors wide open, welcoming anyone to enter.
No matter who came, he was certain of victory.
Such arrogance. Such contempt.
"Can the drones enter this Sonoro Sphere?" Yuanwu asked.
"They can, but they'll lose signal immediately upon entry."
What's the difference between that and nothing?
Yuanwu took deep breaths for a long while, finally suppressing the bitterness in his heart and making a rational decision:
"We… should retreat and seek reinforcements."
"No."
Taoqi wiped away her tears. Her right hand gripped her long blade and plunged it into the ground as she slowly stood. Her eyes burned with hatred and fury:
"I'm going to enter the Sonoro Sphere. You wait outside. I'll do my best to bring back some intelligence to aid Huanglong's reinforcements."
"Taoqi, there's no need for you to take this risk—"
"Baizhi, I regret it so much…"
Taoqi softly called Baizhi's name, cutting off her persuasion:
"I hate myself—for not discovering Jinzhou City's crisis sooner, for lacking the power to protect its people."
"Was it because I was too lazy and careless in daily life that Jinzhou fell to this state?"
"As the person in charge of Jinzhou's border defense affairs for the Engineers, how derelict in my duty…"
"Taoqi, this isn't your fault." Baizhi tried to comfort her, but gazing into Taoqi's resolute eyes tinged with a death wish, her throat seemed blocked. She could say no more.